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What is an emergency management director and how to become one
Emergency management directors are in charge of planning, implementing, and overseeing emergency response plans to natural disasters and other types of emergencies. They serve as the leader in emergency response and are the main point person for crisis prevention.
The specific duties of an emergency management director involve hiring and training emergency staff, coordinating with government agencies and other organizations to obtain necessary funds, and maintaining facilities for emergencies. They also assess the aftermath of a catastrophe to improve current emergency response strategies and minimize the effects of the next disaster.
If you want to pursue the noble role of an emergency management director, you would need to have a bachelor's degree at the very minimum. Common majors for this role are business, disaster planning, and public administration. Moreover, you would need to accumulate many years of experience in the field of emergency planning, which may involve being on the field as an emergency respondent.
The average pay of an emergency management director is $178,000 per year. Considering their role in preventing the loss of life, infrastructure, and natural resources, this kind of compensation is only fair.
What general advice would you give to an emergency management director?
Laura Siebeneck Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, University of North Texas
Avg. Salary $161,105
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 3%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.50%
Asian 4.39%
Black or African American 8.36%
Hispanic or Latino 11.68%
Unknown 5.00%
White 69.07%
Genderfemale 28.70%
male 71.30%
Age - 47American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 47Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is poor
6.4 - fair
Emergency management director career paths
Key steps to become an emergency management director
Explore emergency management director education requirements
Start to develop specific emergency management director skills
Skills Percentages Emergency Preparedness 10.46% Emergency Management 8.41% Public Safety 7.77% Emergency Response 7.35% Emergency Services 6.23% Complete relevant emergency management director training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New emergency management directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an emergency management director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real emergency management director resumes.Research emergency management director duties and responsibilities
- Manage first aid clinic using EMT skills for injury's clinic visits, lose time, and light duty incidents.
- Manage the strategic oversight and operational performance for the department.
- Relay information to the appropriate first responder agency.
- Communicate OSHA, NFPA and NIOSH standards to customer.
Get emergency management director experience
Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become an emergency management director. The most common roles before becoming an emergency management director include emergency medical technician, staff nurse team lead and director.Prepare your emergency management director resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your emergency management director resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an emergency management director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
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Build a professional emergency management director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your emergency management director resume.
Apply for emergency management director jobs
Now it's time to start searching for an emergency management director job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first emergency management director job
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Average emergency management director salary
The average emergency management director salary in the United States is $161,105 per year or $77 per hour. Emergency management director salaries range between $72,000 and $358,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do emergency management directors rate their job?
Emergency management director reviews
Sometimes you do not get top cover. Political leadership may not be interested in engaging in preparedness and only wants to act once an incident becomes high profile. And, if an operation goes south, you may find yourself standing alone to face criticism resulting from poor political decisions.
50 years of challenging, rewarding and evolving experiences with every kind of threat that one could imagine. Made great friends and lasting relationships. Can see and reflect upon real change and influence on the practice area.
Updated January 8, 2025
